Your thoughts on SWC2

[OC47150]

As an attendee to the Denver show three years ago, I thought the Indy show was 100 times better. IT was well worth my money!!

My friend and I encountered only one major problem, and that was on Sunday. We stayed at the Marriott across the street, and the convention center security people wouldn't allow us across the pedway to wait in the convention center. Hotel management got involved and got the problem resolved.

We expected the long lines on Saturday and Sunday, so we visited the store and got our autographs on Friday. If there was something we really wanted to see (Rick McCallum Spectacular, the archives exhibit and the 30-minute play) we didn't mind waiting in line for an hour or so. I think we waited longest in line to get tickets to hear Hayden Christiansen but we waited with friends.

Overall, I give the convention two thumbs up but I believe the organizers were on the verge of being overwhelmed just be the sheer number of people in attendance.

[stevenmh]

Originally posted by OC47150
As an attendee to the Denver show three years ago, I thought the Indy show was 100 times better. IT was well worth my money!!

My friend and I encountered only one major problem, and that was on Sunday. We stayed at the Marriott across the street, and the convention center security people wouldn't allow us across the pedway to wait in the convention center. Hotel management got involved and got the problem resolved.

We expected the long lines on Saturday and Sunday, so we visited the store and got our autographs on Friday. If there was something we really wanted to see (Rick McCallum Spectacular, the archives exhibit and the 30-minute play) we didn't mind waiting in line for an hour or so. I think we waited longest in line to get tickets to hear Hayden Christiansen but we waited with friends.

Overall, I give the convention two thumbs up but I believe the organizers were on the verge of being overwhelmed just be the sheer number of people in attendance.

I agree that it was great being at the convention, but there were some organization problems that made it harder for the workers to deal with the crowd.

One of the poorest displays I saw was standing in line Sunday morning. Even though the line was several blocks long, once it got moving it moved pretty well. Once you got about 50 feet from the door, people would pop out of the adjoining hotel entrances and melt into the line. My brother called one guy on it, and he got out of line, I'm sure only to drop back 10 feet and melt back in. Meanwhile, there were people doing the right thing and getting at the end 3 blocks away.

Having one fan club member entrance and one non-member entrance was a poor idea. A lot of members used the non-member entrance just because it seemed shorter. On Sunday morning the C2 store line wrapped all the way back to the entrance areas, but instead of going straight back to the member entrance, it turned a corner and went to the non-member entrance. So once we got in, we had to fight a mob to get to the end of the line. From a distance we could see people pouring in the non-member doors and getting directly in the end of the store line. This made it even harder to get to the end of the line, because it was practically growing faster than we could walk to catch up to it. So essentially a bunch of people got into the convention center after us, but got in line for the C2 store before us, even though we made a beeline for the C2 store line. One would think that if the store is initially open for members only, that it would go back to the member entrance.

Having multiple small lines into the center in the morning would have made it much more organized. Everyone seemed to know exactly where they wanted to go first thing in the morning. So why not start out with multiple lines where you could get in line for the C2 store at 6:00 a.m. if you wanted to, or the Carrie Fisher autograph line, or the concert ticket line, or whatever. That would have been simpler than having one mile long line that breaks into a mob just inside the door and then having to try and reform lines when you can't even move.

They also did a poor job of the lines at individual events. We went to get in line for Attack of the Fetts on Saturday an hour and a half early, and the end of the line was already outside the convention center. That part was fine. The problem was that when they opened the doors to the ballroom, they opened ALL the doors. I watched ENTIRE FAMILIES, couples with children, just walk right up the hallway and into the room when the doors opened, and people had been waiting in line for a couple hours. I overhead one woman tell her husband "we don't have to go through that, just walk in." What's the point of forming a line if you're not going to have a controlled point of entry? There's no way that one worker could have monitored the mob once all four doors were thrown wide open. There were people who didn't get into the show who were in line for a long time, but people who NEVER WAITED AT ALL did get in.

I also didn't understand why they would only allow people to use certain door into the Exhibit Hall. Had they used them all, traffic would have flowed in and out much more smoothly.

Overall, I loved the convention. It was my first. But I found that long before the end of the day, we were tired of the pushing and shoving, not being able to see anything due to the crowd, and never knowing what line to get in. There were times I got frustrated and almost left the convention for the day, just to get out in the open and away from the wandering, directionless crowd. I think for C3 their biggest concern needs to be improved crowd control and line formation.

[DarthDamon]

Ya the lines were out of control. Tickets should have been limited and they needed more signs. Saturday was grid lock, there were like 4 and 5 lines going in the same hallway. I felt sorry for people that waited to go on Sunday cause the C2 store was sold out of about everything. They said there were
six thousand exclusive figs for Sunday and they were gone in about a half hour.Glad I got mine first thing Sat and then to Carrie Fishers line and then Sat was about over.Came home happy though. 14 autographs and a pic with Anthony Daniels!SirSteve signed my Will Call badge!!!!

[OC47150]

I agree about the long lines. There should've been dedicated entrance lines for fan club members and non-fan club members. Maybe at different parts of the building.

Lines for various speakers/events were chaotic Saturday and Sunday. Things weren't that bad on Friday.

Like I stated, I think organizers just got overwhelmed by the sheer number of people -- double of what attended the Denver show.

[stad]

Having the kids display in the main hallway nearly right across from the stairwell and food court wasn't too smart either...

[stevenmh]

Originally posted by stad
Having the kids display in the main hallway nearly right across from the stairwell and food court wasn't too smart either...

Good point. On Saturday that area was a good place to get crushed to death.

[Eternal Padawan]

The problem was poor planning. If they do it there next time here's what they need to improve:

• More space. All I saw were lines, lines and more lines. They didn't utilize half the rooms and the ones they did were poorly planned.
  
• Autographs. Other conventions I've been to used the "Block" system. Where you get a ticket that says come back between 3:00 and 3:30 for Carrie Fisher's autograph. this cuts down on lines and frees up time to go to other events rather than spending hoiurs in a line.
  
• The store. most people aren't clamoring for backpakcs and Roleplaying games. Set up little booths that offer this stuff around the complex to again avoid lines.
  
• The figure. Presell it. if you only get two figure per pass per day, just assume I want them and just send them to my place when I order my three day pass. Once again this cuts down the store line and if i want extra, I can go stand in line then.
  
• The events. Too many in too short amount a time. I only got to two of three events per day, which means I missed out on a majority of what they offered. Make the Celebration five days and have more repeating events so you can get to everything.
  
• As BCJ suggested PREREGISTER for events. This cuts down on lines and gives the coordinators a better idea of that people want to do when they are there.
  
• Staff. Hire more and preferably people with a knowledge of Star Wars and Celebration events. Not the rude, uninformed locals who were constantly yelling at guests.
  
• OVER estimate the number of attendees. They were planning on having half as many people that actually showed. If they had planned on 100,000 and only 75,000 the whole thing would have gone down much smoother.
  
• DON'T be concerned with turning aprofit. Charge just enough to cover you costs and break even. 75,000 x $75 is $5.6 milllion. I don't think that's the going rate for the Indianapolis Convention Center for three days, and I doubt Anthony Daniels asking price as MC was that high, so I felt like WOTC/Hasbro/Lucasfilm sucker punched me for profit. That's not even counting the overpriced action figure, the concert tickets, the autographs, and the dealer's fees. I get the feeling Daniels and McCallum were chuckling at the Marriot bar because everybody was PAYING them to be a fan. That upsets me.